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What is the COVID situation in Costa Rica?
Data source: Our World In Data / Data updated on December 3, 2021
Data last reviewed on: 14 October 2021
Basic facts about Costa Rica
Costa Rica is a small country located in Central America. The capital of Costa Rica is San José and the most spoken language is Spanish. The national currency in Costa Rica is Costa Rican colón (CRC).
What taxi apps are available in Costa Rica?
If you are not a local, you may have difficulty making the best use of public transportation. Using a taxi app such as Uber or Bolt is unquestionably a better method to go about cities without getting into too much touch with strangers. There may be also other local taxi apps available in Costa Rica.
You can use Uber in 3 cities: Liberia, San Carlos, San Jose. Bolt is not available in Costa Rica.
Practical information
Check with your bank to determine if there are any costs for international transactions. When you use a foreign ATM, your home bank will typically charge you a fee. While some banks don't charge a fee, some charge a fixed fees for every withdrawal or provide a limited amount of free withdrawals.
When you spend money abroad with your card, you're unlikely to get the interbank exchange rate. This implies that each time you spend in a foreign currency, you may be paying a significant fee. Varying service providers may charge different markups, but they should not exceed 3% of the transaction value on average.
To reduce the transaction costs, you may choose to consider one of the travel cards offered by the following mobile banks: Wise.com, Revolut, N26 or Monose
Do people speak English in Costa Rica?
The official language of Costa Rica is Spanish. Unfortunately, if you speak English, it might be problematic to communicate fluently unless you know Spanish. As you go away from the main tourist destinations and into smaller towns and villages, you will notice a decrease in the usage of English, particularly among older generations over 50 years old. This is where knowing a few simple Spanish words may help.
In the EF English Competency Index (EF EPI), which assesses the language proficiency of non-native speaking countries, Costa Rica was ranked 36th out of 100 countries in 2020.
What socket types are used in Costa Rica?
There are 2 common plug types used in Costa Rica:
Type A 120 V, 60 Hz Type B 120 V, 60 Hz
The sockets' shapes and voltage differ from country to country and a travel plug adapter may be required. Portable devices, such as phones, notebooks or tablets, usually handle the entire range of voltages used across the world (110-240V).
What countries need visa to enter Costa Rica?
Currently, citizens of 97 countries can enter Costa Rica without obtaining a visa. This figure includes nationals who can acquire a visa on arrival.
What are visa requirements to enter Costa Rica?
Use the list below to check visa requirements for your country to enter Costa Rica.
- Algeria Visa required
- Angola Visa required
- Benin Visa required
- Botswana Visa required
- Burkina Faso Visa required
- Burundi Visa required
- Côte d'Ivoire Visa required
- Cabo Verde Visa required
- Cameroon Visa required
- Central African Republic Visa required
- Chad Visa required
- Comoros Visa required
- Democratic Republic of the Congo Visa required
- Republic of the Congo Visa required
- Djibouti Visa required
- Egypt Visa required
- Equatorial Guinea Visa required
- Eritrea Visa required
- Eswatini Visa required
- Ethiopia Visa required
- Gabon Visa required
- Gambia Visa required
- Ghana Visa required
- Guinea-Bissau Visa required
- Guinea Visa required
- Kenya Visa required
- Lesotho Visa required
- Liberia Visa required
- Libya Visa required
- Madagascar Visa required
- Malawi Visa required
- Mali Visa required
- Mauritania Visa required
- Mauritius Visa free (90 days)
- Morocco Visa required
- Mozambique Visa required
- Namibia Visa required
- Niger Visa required
- Nigeria Visa required
- Rwanda Visa required
- Sao Tome and Principe Visa free (90 days)
- Senegal Visa required
- Seychelles Visa free (90 days)
- Sierra Leone Visa required
- Somalia Visa required
- South Africa Visa free (90 days)
- South Sudan Visa required
- Sudan Visa required
- Tanzania Visa required
- Togo Visa required
- Tunisia Visa required
- Uganda Visa required
- Zambia Visa required
- Zimbabwe Visa required
- Afghanistan Visa required
- Armenia Visa required
- Azerbaijan Visa required
- Bahrain Visa required
- Bangladesh Visa required
- Bhutan Visa required
- Brunei Darussalam Visa free (90 days)
- Cambodia Visa required
- China Visa required
- Georgia Visa required
- Hong Kong Visa required
- India Visa required
- Indonesia Visa required
- Iran Visa required
- Iraq Visa required
- Israel Visa free (90 days)
- Japan Visa free (90 days)
- Jordan Visa required
- Kazakhstan Visa free (90 days)
- North Korea Visa required
- South Korea Visa free (90 days)
- Kuwait Visa required
- Kyrgyzstan Visa required
- Laos Visa required
- Lebanon Visa required
- Macao Visa required
- Malaysia Visa free (90 days)
- Maldives Visa free (90 days)
- Mongolia Visa required
- Myanmar Visa required
- Nepal Visa required
- Oman Visa required
- Pakistan Visa required
- State of Palestine Visa required
- Philippines Visa free (90 days)
- Qatar Visa free (90 days)
- Saudi Arabia Visa required
- Singapore Visa free (90 days)
- Sri Lanka Visa required
- Syria Visa required
- Taiwan Visa free (90 days)
- Tajikistan Visa required
- Thailand Visa required
- Timor-Leste Visa required
- Turkey Visa free (90 days)
- Turkmenistan Visa required
- United Arab Emirates Visa free (90 days)
- Uzbekistan Visa required
- Viet Nam Visa required
- Yemen Visa required
- Antigua and Barbuda Visa free (90 days)
- Bahamas Visa free (90 days)
- Barbados Visa free (90 days)
- Cuba Visa required
- Dominica Visa free (90 days)
- Dominican Republic Visa required
- Grenada Visa free (90 days)
- Haiti Visa required
- Jamaica Visa required
- Saint Kitts and Nevis Visa free (90 days)
- Saint Lucia Visa free (90 days)
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Visa free (90 days)
- Trinidad and Tobago Visa free (90 days)
- Belize Visa free (90 days)
- El Salvador Visa free (90 days)
- Guatemala Visa free (90 days)
- Honduras Visa free (90 days)
- Nicaragua Visa required
- Panama Visa free (90 days)
- Albania Visa required
- Andorra Visa free (90 days)
- Austria Visa free (90 days)
- Belarus Visa required
- Belgium Visa free (90 days)
- Bosnia and Herzegovina Visa required
- Bulgaria Visa free (90 days)
- Croatia Visa free (90 days)
- Cyprus Visa free (90 days)
- Czech Republic Visa free (90 days)
- Denmark Visa free (90 days)
- Estonia Visa free (90 days)
- Finland Visa free (90 days)
- France Visa free (90 days)
- Germany Visa free (90 days)
- Greece Visa free (90 days)
- Hungary Visa free (90 days)
- Iceland Visa free (90 days)
- Ireland Visa free (90 days)
- Italy Visa free (90 days)
- Latvia Visa free (90 days)
- Liechtenstein Visa free (90 days)
- Lithuania Visa free (90 days)
- Luxembourg Visa free (90 days)
- Malta Visa free (90 days)
- Moldova Visa required
- Monaco Visa free (90 days)
- Montenegro Visa free (90 days)
- Netherlands Visa free (90 days)
- North Macedonia Visa required
- Norway Visa free (90 days)
- Poland Visa free (90 days)
- Portugal Visa free (90 days)
- Romania Visa free (90 days)
- Russian Federation Visa free (90 days)
- San Marino Visa free (90 days)
- Serbia Visa free (90 days)
- Slovakia Visa free (90 days)
- Slovenia Visa free (90 days)
- Spain Visa free (90 days)
- Sweden Visa free (90 days)
- Switzerland Visa free (90 days)
- Ukraine Visa free (90 days)
- United Kingdom Visa free (90 days)
- Canada Visa free (90 days)
- Mexico Visa free (90 days)
- United States of America Visa free (90 days)
- Australia Visa free (90 days)
- Fiji Visa free (90 days)
- Kiribati Visa free (90 days)
- Marshall Islands Visa free (90 days)
- Micronesia Visa free (90 days)
- Nauru Visa free (90 days)
- New Zealand Visa free (90 days)
- Palau Visa free (90 days)
- Papua New Guinea Visa required
- Samoa Visa free (90 days)
- Solomon Islands Visa free (90 days)
- Tonga Visa free (90 days)
- Tuvalu Visa free (90 days)
- Vanuatu Visa free (90 days)
- Argentina Visa free (90 days)
- Bolivia Visa free (90 days)
- Brazil Visa free (90 days)
- Chile Visa free (90 days)
- Colombia Visa required
- Ecuador Visa required
- Guyana Visa free (90 days)
- Paraguay Visa free (90 days)
- Peru Visa free (90 days)
- Suriname Visa free (90 days)
- Uruguay Visa free (90 days)
- Venezuela Visa free (90 days)
- Visa Info (in Spanish)
- Passport Index
Data last reviewed on: 14 October 2021
Is it safe in Costa Rica?
The U.S. State Department uses a four-level travel advisory system. The levels show how safe it is to travel throughout the world. The countries with the lowest level (1) are considered safe for visitors, while those with the greatest level (4) should be avoided, at least temporarily.
On November 30, 2021, the risk level for Costa Rica was changed to Level 3: Reconsider Travel.
Emergency phones in Costa Rica
- Costa Rica Travel Advisory (United States: Department of State)
- Travel Advice for Costa Rica (United Kingdom: The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office)